Our Callie

On Monday, our little girl, Callie, left our family and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to join Rowdy and Gloria.  It was an emotional day, but I knew it was coming.  She had stopped eating on Thursday, and stopped drinking water on Sunday.  Whenever I would pick her up, she was so limp and almost unresponsive.  On Monday morning, she had started to bleed a little from her mouth.  I tried putting water in my hand and giving it to her, but she wouldn't have any of it.  She just wanted to lay on a soft warm fuzzy blanket.  On Sunday, she couldn't even get up to go to her litter box.  I would have to change the towels under her to keep her dry.  On Saturday, I gave her a warm bath, (with a damp cloth), to help her feel better and smell better.  We went to the vet early Monday, and he said that it was definitely time.  By the time the needle was removed from her little arm, she was gone.  A dear friend, (Mike), upon hearing of her passing wrote, "She is now dancing with her ancestors".  How poetic of him to remember her this way.

I brought Callie home when she was just 4 weeks old, in 2001.  Yes, she was 18 years old.  She immediately bonded with my Golden Retriever, (Gloria).  In fact, she thought Gloria was her mom.  She would curl up next to Gloria and sleep, and Gloria would give her baths.  Each week, I would give Callie a bath, (using a warm damp cloth), and clip her nails.  She never resisted.  And as she grew older, it was just a part of her life.  When Rowdy joined our family, they were sisters immediately.  She never came when anyone called "Kitty, Kitty".  That wasn't her name.  She came when I called, "Callie, Callie".  She knew her name.  And when I would laugh, she thought that was my purr, and would come running to me, and jump in my lap.  Dave thought that was the most endearing thing about her.  She loved Dave.  Every night when he came home from work, she demanded that he give her a daily treat and pet her.  She would tell him about her day.  I would be in the kitchen and I could hear her meowing to him and talking.  Then later when we would be watching TV, she would have to sit between us.  In fact, she demanded to sit between us.  And she knew when it was time for bed.  And she would jump on the bed and snuggle between us, next to Dave.  She loved his body heat.  But if I was sad, she could read my body language, and she always would jump on my lap and snuggle, wanting to comfort me.  It was something all my pets did.  When Gloria and Rowdy crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, she searched the house for them.  She was lonely for them.  Now she is with them again.    That little kitten who was the princess of our home and who ruled our lives and had us all trained to her liking is now gone.  And our hearts have a very big hole.  Rest In Peace little one.  I know you will greet me someday when stand at the Rainbow Bridge with my arms outstretched to embrace all of you.

2018 - A Look Back

In January we spent the month enjoying a rather quiet start to the New Year.  We went to a couple of movies, a "Broadway Across America" play, (Something Rotten), and generally had a very easy going month, while staying in from the cold snowing weather.

In February, We took a week and traveled to San Antonio, Texas.  We visited the Riverwalk, (dined on the riverfront at a great Mexican restaurant), visited the Alamo, saw various local landmarks.  We also spent a couple of days, (during one of the rainstorms), just laying around the room and watching movies, and resting.  We ate at some really great local German restaurants, and really enjoyed the cooler weather for the area.

In March, Barb had her 1 year knee replacement follow up, and everything look very good.  She still has some pain, but given that all that she endured, (with the various infections in the left knee and all the multiple surgeries), she's getting around very well.  We attended another "BAA" play, (Sound of Music), and took a fish class from a local fish restaurant / fish market.  The fish moniker showed us how to identify different fish, the freshness, and how to cut down a whole fish.  We were treated to samples of the fish, (cooked by the chefs).  When the raw oysters came around, Dave was in heaven.  While many turned down their samples, Dave gladly accepted them, and when they announced that there were leftovers, Dave was in line for extra.  He want home a "happy camper" for having his semi-full share of oysters.  As always, Barb really enjoyed the fresh salmon and taliapia.

April finally showed us much warmer temps, and my daffodils were blooming everywhere.  Again another "BAA" play, one that the whole city had been waiting for - Hamilton.  Dave and Barb were so glad for the open caption.  Some of the rapping was so quick, that we need the words to keep up.  Yes, we are getting old.  Dave took a quick trip down to Vegas to visit his brother, (Bruce).  While he enjoys seeing his brother, he said he really missed home, and sleeping in his own bed.  We really are homebodies at heart.

May was gardening month.  We turned over the beds are got them ready for planting.  It was a lot of work.  We pulled out everyone of our strawberry plants, turned over the bed, amended the soil, and replanted everyone of the plants again.  We knew that we wouldn't have any berries this year, but hopefully next year, we will be back to getting our usual crop.  Thankfully we still have some in the freezer.  It was also a very sad month in our household.  Our little dog, (Rowdy), finally crossed over the "Rainbow Bridge".  She had been slowing down quite a bit over the last year.  And for the last 6 months, we couldn't leave her alone for more than an hour.  She would get so confused about her surroundings, and then soil her cage.  We never scolded her or raised our voice to her.  She was over 18 years old, and couldn't help it.  We would just clean her up, clean up her cage, and then give her love and hugs.  She could no longer go to the groomer, since the last time she went, she had a small seizes and they couldn't accept her any more.  It's been almost a year, and Barb still have no memory of the events that happened on the day that we took Rowdy to the vet to gently have help her leave this world of pain, and cross over the "Rainbow Bridge".  The house is certainly much bigger and lonelier now.

In June, Dave and Barb took the grandson and his family (Trevor, Audra, and Autumn), out to dinner to celebrate Trevor's birthday.  Every year Trevor always had to celebrate his birthday with his mom's side of the family as a combined birthday and father's day celebration.  Barb always felt that was unfair.  So, this year Barb and Dave decided to take them out to dinner alone and celebrate.  We laughed, told stories, caught up on our lives, an ate way too much.  It was a happy celebration.  June was also a time for a couple of concerts, we saw Steely Dan on evening, and the later in the month Chicago and REO.   Another "BAA" play Jersey Boys came into town.  This closely followed the movie version, but was different from the musical play we saw several years ago in Vegas.  Barb got quite a bit of her garden planted, even though she cut down on the amount that she planted in prior years.  But it will be enough to get us through the summer and rest of the year, when it produces.  At the end of June, we took a trip to Maui for a week.  That's when things for Dave took a down turn.  We were getting ready to go, puttering around the house, etc.  Suddenly, Dave's back just goes out.  He's in horrible pain.  He thinks that if he just takes it easy, he'll be OK., and that he'll just use Barb's cane.  We get to the airport, and Barb gives Dave her wheelchair that she normally uses to get around since her knee surgery.  Good thing she did.  As Dave is getting up to walk through the metal doctors, he drops to the floor.  It takes a couple of people to help pick him up.  He limps through, gets back in the wheelchair, and down to the gate.  Dave has to use a wheelchair the whole trip to Maui.  He takes it easy the first day, and starts feeling better.  The second day, we go to the resort's luncheon, and as we are leaving to go back to our room, he collapses again.  A couple of guests run to help him up..  A girl who happens to be a CNA, helps me get Dave up to our room.  We start looking for chiropractor on the island who can see Dave.  Luckily we find one.  Dave gets in that afternoon, the last slot, (5 PM).  He adjusts Dave, and Dave is doing well.  The last day, he's in pain again.  Luckily, Dave already has an appointment for when we get home.

In July, Jared came out to visit for 4 days.  The main purpose of the trip was for his high school reunion, but Dave was glad to have him stay with us and visit.  Dave spent most of July and August visiting various doctor's getting MRI's, xrays, etc.  They all tell him that he has many problems with his back and they won't be able to help him until he loses at least 50 pounds.

August was a quite month at home.  Dave visited several doctors about his back.  We went to an outdoor ampitheather play of "Oklahoma", with Dave's prior boss.  We have been doing this annual dinner / play date every year for the last 7years.  It's so nice to get away from the hot summer heat and go up into the cool mountains for several hours.  And the Sundance Resort restaurant is very nice. 

The garden is starting to produce.  Every week we were enjoying fresh green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, new potatoes, zucchini, beets, and onions.  The carrots and squash are getting bigger.






September was another quite month.  A new round of Broadway plays started off with Waitress.  Dave's back was still bothering him.  He finally realized that this will be the new norm for him.  The garden is producing in full swing, and Barb is filling up the freezer and the pantry with jars of good vegetables.  The fruit trees are full and ripe.  We had a strong windstorm one day, and a lot of the branches on the peach tree broke,  they were so heavy with fruit and couldn't take the wind.  Barb had to cut off the branches and remove all the fruit.  She shared bags with our neighbors, froze a lot, and made several cobblers.  Barb also lost her Aunt Cleo, (her father's sister), on the 26th.  She had grown close to her aunt over the last 30 years, and they shared many stories and laughs over the phone.  She misses her aunt.

October  and the temps are finally starting to cool off just a little, making it feel nice again.  Dave and Barb took the youngest grandson, (Ian), out to lunch for his 20th birthday.  Dave and Barb also celebrated their 15th anniversary.  Fearful of an early frost, Barb picked a large box of tomatoes and set them in the garage, with newspaper over them.  They then ripened on their own.  We had fresh tomatoes up to the first of 2019. 

At the end of the month, they took a small week Mexican Riviera cruise with Dave's brother, Bruce.  Dave and Barb have done this cruise before, and  Bruce wasn't much for excursions.  So, everyone just stayed on the ship, or wondered around the ports, when the ship docked.  Once again, we ates way too much.  But enjoyed how much everyone when way overboard with their Halloween costumes on the 31st.





November was time to put the garden to bed.  Barb dug up the last of the potatoes, 20 pounds of carrots, several pounds of butternut and spaghetti squash, and quite a few zucchini and cucumber, and the last of the green beans.  Bruce joined us for the 2 weeks of the months, and helped Barb prepare Thanksgiving dinner.  There was so much food, we ate leftovers for a week.  Another "BAA" play, Come Far Away, played in Salt Lake.  We really enjoyed this one.

December provided a couple of Holiday parties for Dave and Barb.  An evening at the movies, and then Christmas Eve dinner with Trevor, Audra, and Autumn.  Barb and Dave remarked that this was the first Christmas trip to Trevor's that they didn't have to break through drifts of snow to get into their apartment.  The weather was actually nice.  Trevor prepared a wonderful meal on his Treger grill out on his patio.  It was wonderful.  Afterward, Audra remarked, "Well, you just ate a vegan meal.  What did you think?"  Barb replied, "We have meals like this at least a couple times a month.  The only difference is that we add cheese, or maybe egg.  So, it's not to different."  (Audra if vegan, Trevor is very much a meat eater, but eats vegan at home.)  We enjoyed a very quite end of the year.  Dave's back is hurting less and less.  He found a knee brace, and that provides enough stability that he doesn't fall, and his back isn't in as much pain as earlier in the year.

We move a little slower this year.  We still love traveling, but love staying at home also.  As I said, we are getting older, and we are becoming home bodies.